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Ryan Zimmerman wins Gold Glove

Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman made history on Wednesday, becoming the first person in Nationals history to win the Gold Glove.

Zimmerman led NL third basemen in assists, total chances, total outs recorded and games started. Almost every game it seemed like Zimmerman put on a show at the hot corner — whether it was making a diving play or charging a ball to throw out a runner.

Zimmerman has been great with the glove ever since he entered the Major Leagues in September, 2005, but didn’t receive a lot of recognition until this year. Why? Zimmerman said he learned to play the position a lot better.

“I know what I need to do — when to throw the ball, when not to throw the ball. That’s something I had to learn,” he said. “I feel like anytime I touch the ball, I can get the person out. A lot of times in the past, I might go down the line, dive, backhand the ball and not have a shot at the runner.”

“I’ve learned to hold on to the ball. That’s obviously better for the team. You don’t want to try to throw it everywhere and you have a runner on second and all that. I think it’s more of an understanding of the game and learning the position a little bit more.”

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